OUR BAD.

Fourth E

ditionR

yan JacksonOUR BAD.Suppose two people with identical education paths and GPAs graduate from the same college at the same time. Fast forward ten years. One is well-adjusted in the “real world” and the other is a train wreck. Why?

The problem is practical life skills. Why hasn’t anyone taken ownership of teaching topics in career readiness, financial literacy, legal basics, and personal wellness? Given the staggering costs and implications for our society, what do we do about it? It is everyone’s problem. It’s Our Bad.

Acceleron Learning was developed to address these issues, by experts who are also practitioners—PhDs, MDs, CPAs, CFPs, MBAs, MLHRs, and JDs. It uses engaging video lectures and powerful planning tools to teach practical life skills online.

If you care about the future of your family, your employees, or your students—you need to read this book. Together, we can impact the lives of the people we care about the most—for the better!

“As a workplace learning researcher, and former career/academic advisor at Stanford University, I have seen first-hand what Our Bad illustrates—the surprising unpreparedness of young people for the world of work.

Acceleron Learning’s products offer organizations, academic institutions, and students a way to begin solving the problem.”

— Dr. Natalie Lundsteen, PhD Oxford Director of Career Development, UTSouthwestern

While discussing implementation plans for Acceleron Learning at the University of Dayton: “Acceleron is timely and fascinating.

My son needs this product.”— Dr. Daniel J. Curran

President, The University of Dayton

Business/Self-Improvement

The Acceleron Group, LLC

Fourth Edition

OUR BAD.Why practical life skills are missing,

and what to do about it.

Ryan JacksonFounder of acceleronlearning.com

ISBN 978-0-9859324-0-4

PRODUCT ACCESS INCLUDED

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OUR BAD.Why practical life skills are missing,

and what to do about it.

Ryan JacksonFounder of acceleronlearning.com

With contributions from:Sarah Michaels

Rebecca R. FredricksonGregg Jackson

Fourth Edition

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Acceleron Learning and the distinctive Acceleron Learning logo are trademarks

of The Acceleron Group, LLC.

Copyright © 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 The Acceleron Group, LLCUnited States Copyright Office Registration Number TXu 1-817-145

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any

means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author.

Fourth Edition 2015

For information about custom editions, bulk pricing, and corporate purchases, please contact The Acceleron Group, LLC

at sales@acceleronlearning.com

Manufactured in the United States of America

ISBN-10: 0985932406ISBN-13: 978-0985932404

www.acceleronlearning.com

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This book is dedicated with love to my dad Gregg, for teaching me

to make the most of life.

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T a b l e o f C o n T e n T s

i n T r o d u C T i o n

It’s Not Rocket Surgery ........................................................ 1What is missing from your toolbox?

C h a p T e r 1Hugh Dunno ........................................................................ 11Do you know what “Hugh Dunno”?

C h a p T e r 2Pointing in the Mirror ........................................................ 17Is it possible that we’re all part of the problem?

C h a p T e r 3The Hole Problem ............................................................... 23Do you see a gap?

C h a p T e r 4Career Ineffectiveness ........................................................ 33What career challenges could you have avoided with the right skills early on?

C h a p T e r 5Financial Illiteracy .............................................................. 45What financial challenges could you have avoided with the right skills early on?

C h a p T e r 6Legal Illiteracy .................................................................... 67What legal challenges could you have avoided with the right skills early on?

C h a p T e r 7Personal Illness ................................................................... 75What wellness challenges could you have avoided with the right skills early on?

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C h a p T e r 8Life Experience. Accelerated. ............................................... 87Are you willing to accept our solution as a starting place?

C h a p T e r 9Mia Culpa .......................................................................... 109Do you have the ability to enact positive change in a big way?

C h a p T e r 1 0Gaining Traction ............................................................... 133Do you have tenacity?

C h a p T e r 1 1For Our Good ..................................................................... 147Who comes to mind when you read this book? Are you willing to help them?

abouT us ............................................................................ 155

our Thanks ........................................................................ 163

a p p e n d i x a ................................................................... 171Video Library Curriculum Listing

a p p e n d i x b ................................................................... 185Endnotes

a p p e n d i x C ................................................................... 195References

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i n t r o d u c t i o n

It’s Not Rocket Surgery

Self-Examination Question What is missing from your toolbox?

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acceleronlearning.com

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Introduction

1

SUPPOSE TWO PEOPLE with identical education paths

and GPAs attend and graduate from the same college.

Fast forward ten years. One is well-adjusted in the “real

world” and the other is a train wreck. Why?

McKinsey & Company’s 2013 Education-to-Employment

report highlights this critical question: “One of the things we

learned in our research is how highly employers value ‘soft

skills.’ But they are hard to define, distill, or express.” The

ambiguity faced by educators on this topic has a direct impact

on job-preparedness. When asked if young people are prepared

to work, 87% of U.S. educators surveyed by McKinsey say

“yes” while less than half of students and employers agree.1

The premise of this book is that these marketable soft

skills (or as we call them, practical life skills) are essential for

success in American society. The problem is that no one has

taken ownership of the education process or created a system-

atic approach to teaching them. As you will see, the absence

of these skills creates a whole lot of individual, family, and

societal grief. Why are practical life skills missing, and what

should we do about it? This book was written to unpack the

“why” question and offer a bundled solution to the problem,

called Acceleron Learning (acceleronlearning.com).

Acceleron Learning is an online education company that

teaches practical life skills and prepares people for major life

decisions. We seek to influence the academic, political, and

social discussions on education in America by demonstrating

an effective approach to preparing people for success in the

real world. What does that preparation look like? Does it in-

clude knowing how to change a flat tire? How to host a

Thanksgiving dinner?

There is a certain set of knowledge and behaviors that

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Our Bad.

2

help people approach common life challenges with greater

awareness and confidence. If you are competent in these “pil-

lars,” you will be better equipped to succeed in life. However,

even smart, intellectual people can (and do!) make dumb deci-

sions about these practical life skills:

4 Career Readiness – How to navigate education

planning, launch your career, manage people, and get

work done. Examples include building the perfect

resume, internship success, motivating others, defining

and solving problems, and project management.

4 Financial Literacy – How to manage, protect, and grow

your money. Examples include investing, insurance,

using credit, planning for retirement, personal

budgeting, basic economic theory, and how major

life decisions have a financial impact.

4 Legal Basics – How the legal system works and how it

impacts your professional and personal life. Examples

include intellectual property, employment law,

contracts, estate planning, and the legal impact of

major life decisions.

4 Personal Wellness – How to enhance your physical,

mental, and social health. Examples include emotional

health, balanced nutrition, building healthy

relationships, and making the most of exercise.

Let’s be honest. These four pillars are not rocket science or

brain surgery. However, practical life skills are not taught in

an organized manner, and most of the resources out there are

narrowly focused and difficult to consume. You can scour the

Internet or visit a local bookstore and find hundreds of books

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Introduction

3

on personal finance. The problem is most people don’t know

how to evaluate the quality of what they are reading, or how

to condense a 200-page book on something dry (e.g. life insur-

ance) into useful everyday knowledge. On the other end of the

spectrum, so-called “bridge programs” are cropping up as a

way to fill the gap. These month-long boot camps target stu-

dents at top universities, like Harvard, and charge a hefty

$5,000–$10,000 fee to teach practical life skills. Isn’t it odd

that after spending $200,000 to go to a top school, students

must pay several thousand dollars more just to obtain basic

soft skills? There is something very wrong with this picture.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported on these bridge

programs, saying “Amid a brutal job market for graduates

and growing concern that a liberal-arts education may not

translate into real-world success, even accomplished students

are desperate for any potential edge. Though schools have

beefed up their career services in recent years, students still

fear they lack the practical skills they’ll need after gradua-

tion, such as deciphering a balance sheet or leading colleagues

on a project.”2 A rather damning article in TIME drove this

issue home in a recent survey, showing “the gap between

parents’ goals and colleges’ performance was pronounced.

Parents’ biggest disappointment was their kids’ failure to ac-

quire ‘real-world marketable skills’… And, significantly, par-

ents felt that both they and their children were graduating

with far too much debt. Colleges are earning a grade of about

“C” on most measures.”3

Acceleron Learning offers a cost effective solution (under

$99 for multiple years of individual consumer access) that is

economical and accessible to anyone, not just those in the Ivy

League. The marketplace has identified the need, and we offer

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Our Bad.

4

a comprehensive solution. Take a moment and flip back to

Appendix A to get a feel for the individual topics we teach and

the way they are organized into the four pillars. How many of

these topics are you already aware of as being important?

How many do you really understand or actively manage?

Before embarking on a detailed discussion of why practical

life skills are missing and what to do about it, let me give you

a little more detail on Acceleron Learning’s approach to

teaching practical life skills. Take a topic like personal bud-

geting or how to manage people, and condense the “need to

know” essentials into a 30-minute video lecture. Focus on

immediately useful content, and include practical methods

and examples. Apply that knowledge with web-based tools

that provide a structured approach to managing some of life’s

biggest decisions. We have eliminated the guesswork and

taken care of the research. Our content was developed by ex-

perts who are also practitioners. That means no egg-heads.

We employed bright minds to develop the content. These are

people who have worked with the world’s top corporations,

organizations, and academic institutions. Each product is

founded on solid academic theory, but is brought to life by re-

al-world experience. The focus is always on providing seasoned

wisdom, approaches, and tools that anyone can use right

away.

We want to engage people in a variety of contexts (at home,

at school, and at work) with a product that is designed for in-

dividual learning, classroom instruction, or professional de-

velopment. We have made every effort to provide just the es-

sentials in an easily-consumable format that keeps pace with

technology. Acceleron Learning is on the web and available

for mobile devices including phones and tablets. Check out the

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Introduction

5

The curriculum is capable of introducing concepts before

they are needed, and at any age-level, from kindergarten to

adulthood. Basic knowledge creates awareness and provides a

framework to build upon. Knowing a little bit about a subject

matter and the vocabulary that goes with it will reduce the

intimidation factor, enable you to conduct deeper research on

your own, and allow you to ask intelligent questions of profes-

sional advisors. Finally, understanding the interdependencies

across topic areas will help you face the inherent complexity

of life’s challenges.

What we offer is an approach to teaching practical life

skills, but it is not a golden ticket. If you can find a better solu-

Acceleron Learning App available at the App Store and Google

Play.

The value of Acceleron Learning is in the bundle: A high-

quality assortment of the practical life skills you need, all in

one place. With our product, you are an active participant

rather than a passive recipient. The goal is proactivity. We

want you to become a better steward of your life and your re-

sources. After studying with Acceleron Learning, we believe

you will:

4 Understand foundations in career readiness, financial

literacy, legal basics, and personal wellness;

4 Have a basic vocabulary in these subjects and be able

to ask intelligent questions;

4 Know when and how to seek professional advice on

these subjects; and

4 Make better decisions in life with greater confidence,

and superior results.

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Our Bad.

6

tion, that’s great! Our main goal is to raise awareness and

enact positive change in the lives of our neighbors and society

at large, however that unfolds. We are not under any false il-

lusion that we have THE answer to the problem. But, we do

have something that is thoughtful, works well, and is ready to

go. So, to the school administrator, to the organization, to the

parent, and to the individual: We have all passed the buck on

teaching practical life skills. The book isn’t called Someone

Else’s Bad. It is Our Bad. The good news is that Acceleron

Learning was created to get you moving in the right direction

in a big way. Use it! YOU have to take ownership, exert a

small dose of dedicated focus, and follow through on your in-

tentions in order for things to change.

Here’s some more good news. If you’re reading this book

because your school or organization is using Acceleron

Learning, that puts them in the (refreshing) minority who

understand the challenges you face every day. To be clear,

they are not the object of the criticisms levied in this book.

Instead, you should applaud your administrators or managers

for offering practical life skills education. They get it!

By the way, we are not the only ones interested in this

stuff. In their recent book Wellbeing: The Five Essential

Elements, The Gallup Organization identified career, social,

financial, physical, and community elements as those that

most impact your wellbeing. Gallup is a global polling, con-

sulting, and publishing company that is famous for their

public-opinion and presidential election polls. In other words,

they are well regarded and empirically rigorous. The elements

they identified closely parallel our four pillars: career readi-

ness, financial literacy, legal basics, and personal wellness.

Wellbeing, is a cornerstone of our hypothesis.

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Introduction

7

The folks at Gallup also created an assessment tool called

the Wellbeing Finder, which measures individual and commu-

nity wellbeing. The response to these dimensions is segmented

into thriving, struggling, or suffering for each essential ele-

ment.4 The tool allows respondents to gauge their overall well-

being and see which areas can use improvement. That informa-

tion is available for your community at well-beingindex.com.

Gallup has also recently launched a version of Wellbeing Finder

aimed at measuring the success of college graduates, in par-

ticular, by focusing on employment status, earnings, and

workplace preparation. Gallup CEO Jim Clifton explains:

“Gallup’s hundreds of business clients report that many,

if not most, college diplomas don’t tell them much about

graduates’ readiness for productive work. Average grades

have been inflated, and just about every business leader

knows it. Degrees are increasingly awarded in subjects of

questionable academic—let alone market—value. Many

employers today see a diploma as something that shows a

student had the brains to be admitted to college and

maybe the discipline to finish. But they sure don’t see those

pieces of paper as proof that a graduate is remotely

prepared for workplace performance or leadership.”5

We’ve discussed our product with Gallup and shown it to

them, and they like it.6 However, Gallup is primarily in the

measurement business, not the education business. Acceleron

Learning picks up where Gallup leaves off by providing a

comprehensive, bundled solution.